Conwy, North Wales. What to do when your husband is busy looking for collectibles.

Yes, you're right. This is a bit late. But the problem is, well the problem is, when you're on holiday you're busy, aren't you? And when you get home, you're busy again, catching up with the things you didn't do because you were on holiday.
So, apologies. The report of my visit to Conwy is late. I'm sure we'll all get over it.
  So, the P&J wasn't with us. I can't remember if he was out on his bike or still in bed. Either way, we didn't have to accommodate him. The OH had found an interesting antique/second hand/junk kind of shop last time we were in Conwy, that had loads of old post cards. Yes, my husband is a collector. Not actually of post cards, but of post marks. Specifically East Kent postmarks. There. I've admitted it. He also collects non-league football programmes, but we don't talk about that. Anyway, while he was rummaging in the bowels of the shop, I went wandering around the town with the P&J's camera, trying to find photos of things I hadn't snapped or hadn't visited before.
  For anyone visiting North Wales, make time for Conwy. You can cheerfully spend the day there. Got kids? They tell you history is boring? Buy them a cheap set of bow and arrows, or a wooden sword and/or not shield, and take them to Conwy Castle. Let them imagine, let them play. They'll have a fabulous time. My son has had sword fights and archery contests in most of the castles in Wales. Nobody was bothered by it. It will bring to life what history is- and isn't text books.
The castle was commissioned by by Edward I around 1283. The Welsh were

excluded from the town, and the English were paid to move in. The castle was built on the site of the Aberconwy Abbey, after the monks were relocated further along the Conwy Valley, to Maen Abbey. Lovely man, Edward.
  But there's more. There is the suspension bridge, built by Thomas Telford (1826), which runs alongside the tubular Conwy Railway Bridge, built in 1849 by Robert Stephenson. Both structures are still in use.
  You can also visit the National Trust's Aberconwy House, a fourteenth century Merchant house, as well as Cadw's Elizabethan house at Plas Mwr.
 Down on the harbour, among the lobster pots and folk on the jetty fishing for crabs, is the Smallest House in Great Britain, and access to boat trips on the Conwy river. Across the estuary, apparently, is  the manor house of Bodysgallan, which I don't think I've visited.

 Conwy still has its town wall, a lot of which can be accessed and walked for free, from various points. There are many independent shops in the high street and environs, including Conwy Strollers, which stocks genuine Crocs and a pleasant staff, and no, they didn't pay me to say that- I just happen to have bought my last two pairs of Crocs from them.
 
There is a variety of cafes and restaurants to suit all pockets and taste. We usually visit  the Press Room Cafe, as it's a bit different and not over priced. And it's usually the OH's turn to pay.
 And if you're  into Medieval stuff, you might want to visit the shop on the right. But make sure you've bought the kids their cheap bow and arrows, etc, first. I believe they have an on-line outlet as well.
  There was other stuff which I will put on my Pinterest account in due course and make a link here. And if you're passing Conwy Mountain, spare a thought for the P&J- he goes cycling up that.

For the rest of the pictures
taken today, click on the
big P

Finding #Nebo- exploring #NorthWales' lesser known roads.

Some pictures of rural North Wales and the Snowdonia National Park today. We went for an explore, as we like to upset the SatNav by totally ignoring its instructions. We are also mildly amused by our guide's attempts to pronounce Welsh place names (try driving past  Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (lan-vire-pool-guin-gith-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooth-clandus-ilio-gogo-goch), which translates roughly as "St Mary's Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the Red Cave" if you want to rupture its circuits.)

  We took the B roads- or possibly even some C roads- one track affairs where you only meet working Land Rovers and tractors. And sheep. There were quite a lot of sheep.
  The views here are dominated by the Snowdonia mountains and National Park, a haven for walkers, mountain bikers and climbers, and for those who like to exert a little less energy, sight-seeing, coffee shops and a little light photography. We tend to fall into the last category, these days.
 

 We  (that is, the OH and I- the P&J wasn't with us- he was out on a warm up ride prior to another go at Conwy Mountain) keep talking about putting our boots on and doing some shorter walks, to build up our stamina, but the OH has yet to get a pair of suitable boots. Why he has no boots, I don't know, as he had several pairs last time I looked; in fact, I did, at one time, think they were the start of another one of his collections. But let's not dwell on that.
Most of these pictures come from the
Llanrwst- Nebo area, with a couple 
taken on our way back through the 
Park to the coast. And, as a reason for going wherever we were going, we decided on the Finding Nebo theme,
which took us on a lot of one vehicle roads, through Capel Garmen and onto Nebo. 
  This is a time when the SatNav comes into its own, as it is easy to get lost in this kind of landscape- where narrow roads can go on for ages, with no turnings and no one to ask for directions. The advantage over a paper road atlas is, of course, a SatNav will show you where you actually are, even when  you haven't a clue.
 As we were wandering around, we came across a sign post into some fields, indicating a burial mound somewhere among the sheep. The OH sent me off to investigate, as the only place to park on the single track road was in someone's gateway. Followed by a group of German tourists, who appeared to be in the middle of a walk, I trudged through the fields. The tourists gave up early on, but I continued through the sheep until I

found the thing. Here it is. I'd love to tell you all about it, but it is so in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't find anything about it. Anyway, here's a picture.
  On my way back to the car, I stopped to help a lamb, who was on the wrong side of a fence, to get back to its mum. However, despite physically taking the creature by the scruff of its neck to the stretch of fallen fence that would enable it to be reunited, and despite its mother calling to it, the stupid creature ran off in the opposite direction. Thick as two short planks.
There are a few more photo's, which I will stick on Pinterest in due course. We did eventually find Nebo, and our way back to the A470 and home, thanks to satellite navigation. See, sometimes technology is very useful.